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What are Fixpacks, Interim Fixes and Limited Availability Fixes?

After posting my last blog 'What you always wanted to know about hotfixes...', our L3 (Level 3) manager sent me some really excellent and detailed information about the definition and attributes of Fixpacks, Interim Fixes and Limited Availability fixes. I want to share this information with you here:

FIXPACK

Fixpacks are deliveries of product defect fixes that are put through a full development release cycle and the largest amount of QA testing of all maintenance. The fixes delivered will be for any issue reported either internally or externally regardless of severity. Fixpacks are also sometimes used to deliver minor functional enhancements and changes to add or update supported platforms/browsers/databases/middleware.

The primary attributes of fixpacks are:

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Fixpacks are generally published 2 times a year for each release (7.5 & 7.1)

Usually contain 200 to 400 defect fixes in newer releases (7.5.x), approximately ½ that or less in older releases (7.1.x).

Can contain new features or functionality which includes potential database and application class structure changes.

Fixpacks are cumulative and each new fixpack will contain all the fixes from all the previous fixpacks/interim fixes for that release.

INTERIM FIX (IFIX)

Interim Fixes are the next level of maintenance for Maximo. They go by many names like; Hotfix, Cumulative Hotfix, IFIX, and Limited Availability Interim Fix. They all relate to the same type of deliverable and are releases on fixpack levels for critical and high priority issues

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The primary attributes of Interim Fixes are:

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Interim Fixes are bug fixes only, they rarely if ever contain class structure or DB changes that would impact customizations.

Released every 4 weeks on Fix Central starting in 2Q2013 and contain about 15-20 additional fixes each from the previous interim fix.

They are QA tested for fixpack levels N and N-1, after that they are on demand, offered through Limited Availability via support and only unit tested by development

LIMITED AVAILABILITY FIX (LA FIX)

An LA Fix is an unofficial way to deliver emergency fixes for severe product issues that can not wait for the next publishing of regular maintenance. LA Fixes also go by the names “1-off” or “1-off Hotfix” but they all mean a single APAR fix delivered directly to a customer from support.

§Conditions that may warrant an LA Fix

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A high severity issue in production without a fix already published in the standard maintenance streams and no work around

A high severity issue that is blocking a go-live for an upgrade where the fix is not available in an interim fix for the recently upgraded fixpack level.

A fix is needed for a high severity issue on a system that because of 3rd party regulatory compliance can not have published maintenance applied in a reasonable amount of time.